[AJD] late B

Mon May 30 21:16:05 PDT 2005

Guy,
Interesting comments.  I guess I thought JD did promote their yearly 
additions and changes - particularly via John Deere Day movies.  They often 
contained a "What's New" feature film, which emphasized new developments 
since the last JD Day.  Many of those films were available through the Two 
Cylinder Club, and are a treasure of information (in my book, anyway).

I also have several years of advertising copy books provided by JD to 
dealers, which illustrated ads available from JD for use in newspapers.  An 
example:  scheduled for the October 1949 Farm Journal and Successful 
Farming:  "Again, JD steps out ahead with 5 all new tractors... Meet the 
1949 additions to the JD tractor family...".  Note that the new tractors 
were referred to as 1949 tractors in October 1949 - interesting - but the 
new (1950) model year started in November 1949, so I guess they were 
consistent.

Thanks again for your viewpoint across the industry!
Best Regards,
Duane Larson

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Guy Fay" <fayguyma at execpc.com>
To: "Antique John Deere mailing list" 
<antique-johndeere at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 8:44 PM
Subject: Re: [AJD] late B

> The reason why the concept of "Model Years" is in dispute is that, in 
> general, the farm equipment industry ADVERTISED that they didn't do model 
> years.
>
> The ad being referred to is talking about new models, which the farm 
> equipment industry did do. But most of the companies (I've seen similar 
> claims for at least three tractor manufacturers, don't know if I've seen 
> them for Deere but from what I know of production processes, they did) 
> specifically state that they made running changes- i.e. that as 
> refinements were made, or problems identified and solved, the changes went 
> immediately into production as a running change, instead of waiting for a 
> line changeover such as the auto industry did.
>
> I've seen the information that companies sent out at the time about price 
> increases. For the most part, they didn't hide them as "Model Year" 
> changes-they just flat out announced them.
>
> I also recently had a look in my hometown newspaper in the 1954-1957 for 
> some other stuff (history of the tractor club I belong to). Of course I 
> checked out the ads. The car dealerships in town were making the big model 
> year pushes. From the Deere, IH, Allis, Massey, and Ford dealers, there 
> was no model year announcements whatsoever.
>
> Avoiding model year changes was something the Farm Equipment Industry 
> prided itself in, quite frankly.
>
> Guy
>
> Dean VP wrote:
>
>>Louis:
>>
>>One thing should be clear by now. There were 1953 model year ([production
>>year?) 50's and 60's made in 1952. If my memory serves me right there were
>>no 1953 70's made in 1952. As I recall the 70 didn't start shipping until
>>sometime in 1953. Need to look it up again.
>>But the ad just verifies that the JD Sales, Marketing departments and
>>Dealers were very aware of Model years and advertised "new features for 
>>1953
>>models that were shipped and built in 1952. The same way the auto industry
>>does it. A way to get farmers motivated to buy something with new 
>>features.
>>It also gave JD the opportunity to raise prices each year. New features
>>slightly higher prices. Older models got sold at the old prices or at a
>>discount. The way the sales game works in most industries except the
>>electronics industry. In that industry, new models with more features cost
>>less. Completely backwards of almost all other industries.
>>I'm having real trouble understanding why the concept or business method 
>>of
>>model years is in dispute.
>>Dean A. Van Peursem
>>Snohomish, WA 98290
>>
>>I'm a walking storeroom of facts..... I've just lost the key to the
>>storeroom door
>>
>>www.deerelegacy.com
>>
>>http://members.cox.net/classicweb/email.htm
>>
>>
>>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>From: antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
>>[mailto:antique-johndeere-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com] On Behalf Of
>>Louis R Godena
>>Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 1:57 PM
>>To: Antique John Deere mailing list
>>Subject: Re: [AJD] late B
>>
>>Well, the Nov 1952 issue of *Farm Journal* has an ad for the "new" 50, 60, 
>>and 70 JD models, so there must have been at least *one* made in '52.
>>
>>Interesting thing about *Farm Journal*; my grandfather subscribed back in 
>>the forties, I guess and maintained his subscription until my father took 
>>it
>>
>>over in the early sixties.  Around 1961, some genius in accounting decided 
>>to "purge" the subscription list of all "non-farmers".  My 
>>vegetable-farming
>>
>>father, along with the biggest dairy farmer in Rhode Island, was purged 
>>and "unsubscribed".   Oh, yeah.   The editor of Farm Journal also was 
>>kicked off
>>
>>the subscriber list.
>>
>>Ah, the early days of automation:-)
>>
>>Louis G
>>
>>----- Original Message ----- 
>>From: "Ronald L. Cook" <rlcook at pionet.net>
>>To: "Antique John Deere mailing list" 
>><antique-johndeere at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>>Sent: Monday, May 30, 2005 4:34 PM
>>Subject: RE: [AJD] late B
>>
>>
>>
>>>Dean,
>>>Seeing as how I started this mess, I will mess it up some more.<g>
>>>
>>>A friend of mine still has his dad's 70.  First one sold by Noonan 
>>>Implement or maybe right after Wes Christensen bought that dealership in 
>>>Sioux City as I take it.  His dad, now deceased always claimed it was a 
>>>1952.  How about that?  I heard there were no l952 70's.  I do not know 
>>>the serial number, but someday I might be able to find it out but I have 
>>>no idea what its importance would be.  I think it is a 1953.  My dad has 
>>>a
>>>
>>
>>
>>>1955 60.  He insists it is a 1954.  Dunno.
>>>
>>>Ron Cook
>>>Salix, IA
>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
>>>Antique-johndeere mailing list
>>>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/antique-johndeere
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Antique-johndeere mailing list
>>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/antique-johndeere
>>
>>
>>
>>_______________________________________________
>>Antique-johndeere mailing list
>>http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/antique-johndeere
>>
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Antique-johndeere mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/antique-johndeere 